Sewing machine



Jan. 1, 1952 -M.,c. RICH 2,581,046

SEWING MACHINE I Filed Feb. 25, 1949 v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 M. C. RICH SEWING MACHINE Jan. 1, 1952 2 $HEETSSHEET 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1949 Patented Jan. 1, 1952 UNIT ED 222581.048" SEWING MACHINE Marion 6. Rich; Denver, (iolo assi'gncn toThe Reece Corporation, Boston, Mass:', a corporation of Massachusetts Original applicationiJanuary 8, 1949', SerialNo.

This is a division of myco-pending application Serial No. 69,858, filed January- 8,1;949, now Patent No. 2,573,359, dated (Dctober 30, L951, for Button Hole Sewing -Machine and fullydescribing" and illustrating but not claimingthe subi ect matter'claimedherein.

This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly in connection with sewing to the formation of slits such as buttonhole slits, pocket slits; belt hole andthe likein-fabric, leather and similar material;

Inmany "applications it isdesirable to form'- slits in material-inconnection with formingone or more rows of stitchesin" the materialin which the length oftheslit-has a predetermined rela.-- tionship to the length of the -row oi stitches-being formed, and in which the endsoi the slitmay'be spaced at predetermined'and adjustable distances: from the ends of'thestitching. It isalso'desirable in many cases to-iorm slits otlengths'which vary according to the length ofithe row ofstitches being formed butwhose ends are always A atzla predetermined spaced distance from the ends of the rows of stitches Insuchvcasesr it may: be. required that the slit over-extend; the' stitching on it may be desirable -to:have--the;stitching over? extend the slit.

One specific application of these requirements and objects is iilustrateclin. the formation. of piped buttonholes as'cset'l for-th" in the application. of'BradIord; Dunnell and vMcAvinneynseriall No; 28,464,- fi'led May 21; 1-948", now Patent. No; 2,529,072; datect November 7, 1950;.and1in my: copendin'g application- Serial No; '69;'858; filed= Januaryii, 1949, and" also in li igr 3 1mthe d raw- F ings herein showing a bottom plan vie w of a piped buttonho'le being formedin; base materiat A-atone-stage oi its-formati'onin which aibutton hole slit is indicated at C and two-over=extending rows'of 'stitches are indicated-atDl It w-iil therefore be seen that in-= such applications the psi tion and length of the slit bears a definite rela tionship-to -the position andlengthof the stitching-and usually 'var-ies in length in-proportiente varying length oftherows of stitches: Y It" is there fore-desirableto-provide a slit cuttento fcrm' the slit progressively with the formation of the stitching and at'the same-timeto vary-the position of the cutter relative to the stitching mechanism as the latter-feedsrelativetattle-work so--tha-tthe cutter while operating cooperatively with the stitching-mechanism: cutsa slit whose length-may be difierent-from' the length-of th'erow-of'stitchess- Accordingly I' have provided such-"a slit cutter- {or a sewing machine-which is -convenientlyillus at trate d? in its preferred embodiment iir a machine for forming piped buttonholes; complete-details of which are'descri'bed in m y said copen'din'g ap plication Serial No;-69-;858 of'January- 8, 1949a Theabove and other objects are" accomplishe'd by my invention which is more particularly de''-' scribed; inthe following specification and the accompanying drawings which are intended to be illustrative and' not-to limitthe scope of the invention beyond the requirements of the prior art. a a

In the drawings:

Fig; i is a side view-of -partbf a machine fm' forming piped buttonhol'e's showing the mania:

1 nism of this invention in' detail;

Fig. 2 isa general side-elevation view partly broken away and in section ora machine for forming piped buttonh'oles including the 'mecha' nism of this invention;

Fig; K'is a bottom plan view of aipi-pedb'iitton hole being formed in material-at an-interinediate: stage of the operatiom' Fig. 4-is a perspectiveview partly" in-sectionof some'of the operati-veparts of the machine illustrated-including the slit cutter of the inverttion inthe process-of form-ing a=piped=buttonholep Fig. 5 is a side elevation view in detail of part of themechanism o'f 'thei-ir'rvention in one opera tive position, and: I

Fig; 6 is-aviewsimilarto Figfi showingthe mechanism in anothen'operative position;

- Fig; 7 isa partial-front-elevatibn view in detail of 'the mechanism of-the invention.-

In the drawingsthe upper-stitching mechanism. of a-machine for forming piped" buttonholes is indicated at H andit: include's -a verticallyr'ecip rocating needle bar" I 2 supported? in an upper housing I4; a needle clamp I5 on-the lower end of the needle bar, a pair-of sewing needles lfi for forming sim-ultaneously'two: lines of stitches D} Fig. 3; and-held i'n the clamp, both-needles'being shown i'n- Fig-s 4- -an'd' 7', needle barreciprocatin'g linkage including the oscillating and reciprocat ing members l8 and. 20 connecting the needle ban I2 and an eccentric 2i on a drive sl'i'ait='-2i to actuate the needles-fer sewing in cooperation withlower' stitching" mechanism of "the u'su'al type indicated at liand' also driven from the shaft 22'; A" slit cutter 25 -is pivotally' mounted at"- 28 on the needleclamp; in this case 'midway' betweenthe needles I6; and it is pivotally movable'be tween the-limitsillustrated'in'Figs; 5*and6. It has a cutting point 26 and a cutting. edge"?? adapted to cnt fabriebr' othermaterial-such; for" i instance; as base-materialw and a-patch it moves u and down and also feeds relative to the work with the needles l6, Fig. 4. It has an upper arm 30 between which and the needle clamp l a spring 3| is positioned to urge the cutter 25 in a clockwise direction to one operative position-as shown in Figs. land .6. A pivotally movable camarm 35 .pivotally mounted at 35 under the upper housing M has a cam surface 31 abutting the upper arm 30 of the cutter 25. When I the cam arm 35 is positioned to the left as shown in Fig. 5, it guides the cutter 25 during descent of the needle bar l2 so thatthe cutting edge, 2]

of the cutter 25 is to the right of the needles (5 when these parts descend into the work A. When the cam arm 35 is to the right, as shown in Fig. 6,

'tion positioning the cutter to the right of the needles it. As the needles take their first stitch at the'pointfW, the cutter 25 starts the slit G the cutting edge 21 of thefcutter 25 descends;

into the work A to the leftcfthe needles l6.

anisms Ill and H are fixed in a fore and aft direction to the bed plate 2 of the machine, and the work comprising base material A and a piping patch B to be simultaneously fastened together by two rows of stitches D is held in a work clamp and a pair of patch folders 9 which, in turn, are fed intermittently during sewing relative to the stitching mechanisms 10- and H for forming the two rows of stitches D simultaneously. For this purpose the work clamp 1 and the patch folders 9 are supported on a structure Gil which is slidable in a fore and aft direction relative to the bed plate 2 as described in detail in my said copending application. To understand this invention it is only necessary to know that the work-A and B, the work clamp 1 and the structure 40 are fed intermittently to the left relative to and time with the operation of the stitching mechanisms) and l I while the needles i5 reciprocate up and down in the work to form the rows of stitches D. While the stitching is being formed, the cutter 25 also progressively forms the slit C through the work A and B.

Referring to Figs. 3, 5 and 6, the needles commence forming the stitches D at points W and when the work has moved to the left until the needles l6 reach points X, the rows of stitching of desired. length havebeen formed. Fig. 5 illustrates the relative position of the needles l5 and the cutter 25 when they first descend into the work A, the needles entering at point W. The cutter 25 being tothe right of the needles it, enters the work and starts theslit C at point Y. As seen in Fig. 6, when the needles l6 reach points X at the end of stitching, the cutter 25 has been pivotally moved to the left side of the needles and it has finished the slit 0 at point Z. While the needles It were sewing the stitches D between points W and points X, the cutter 25 was cutting the slitC progressively between the points Y and Z, and its operative position as it descended into the workwas determined by the progressively changing position of the cam arm 35. During sewing, the cam arm 35 moved from its position to the left, Fig. 5,- toits position to the right,

Fig. 6.

To-accomplish the movement of the cam arm 35, ithas a crank arm 42 operatively connected at43 to a lever arm 44 pivotally mounted at 45' to the underside of the housing M and having a cam follower roll on its right hand end which rests on a sloping cam which moves with the work A and B to the left during sewing and for this purpose is mounted on the slidable structure.

At the beginning and the cam 55areintheir extreme righthand of sewing the work A and B at point Y. As sewing progresses, the work A and- B and cam 55 moves intermittently to the left.- The cam roll '5ll rolls down the surface of the cam 55, and the-cam arm 35 gradually moves to In the machine illustrated, the stitching mechthe right until at the end of stitching and when the needles it have reached the points X the cutter 25, no longer in otintact with the cam arm 35, stops cutting the slit 0 at point Z. It will be apparent that once the point 25 of the cutter 25 has pierced the work at point Y, the cutting of the slit C is a progressive cutting operation effected by the cutting edge 21 which is cooperative with and associated with the ac tion of the needle bar i2. The spacing between the ends W and X of the rows of stitchingand the ends Y and Z of the slit or the amount which one over-extends the other may be variably predetermined. The machine is adjustable to sew rows of stitches D of various predetermined lengths with automatically constant spacing between the, ends W and X of the rows of. stitches and the ends Y, and Z of the slit C for such various lengths if desired.

.I have thus provided a slit cutter which operates progressively with the operation of the stitching mechanism and whose position relative to the stitching'mechanism is adjustable and also variable during its operation in a predetermined manner for various requirements with the result that the machine can cut a slit of a predetermined length which may be different from thelength of the row of stitches being formed and whose position or spacing relative to the stitching may be predetermined.

I claim:

1. In a sewing machine comprising stitching mechanism and a work clamp movable relatively to each other to sew a row of stitches in material in said work clamp, a slit cutter, actuating means for the slit cutter movin said cutter to cut the slit as the stitching progresses and means actuated in predetermined relation to the change in position of the needle and the work clamp changing the position of the cutter with respect to the needle; progressively during the sewing of the stitches and thereby to cut a slit which may be different in length from the length of the row of stitching put in the work by the stitching mechanism.

2. In a sewing machine comprising stitching mechanism including a needle bar, and a work clamp movable relatively to each other to sew a row of stitches in material in said work clamp, a slit cutter mounted on and reciprocating with said needle bar to cut the slit as thestitching progresses and means actuated in predetermined relation to the change in position of the needle and the work clamp changing the position of the cutter with respect to the needle and thereby to cut a slit whichma-y be different in lengthfrom the length of the row of. stitching put in th work by the stitching mechanism. I

3. In a sewing machine comprising stitching mechanism including a reciprocating needle bar and a work clamp movable relatively to each other to sew a row of stitches in material in said work clamp, a slit cutter pivoted on said needle bar and adapted to cut a slit in said material progressively with the action of the stitching mechanism, and means moving the cutter pivotally as the stitching progresses and thereby predetermining the length of the slit with respect to the row of stitching put in the work by the stitching mechanism.

4. In a sewing machine comprising stitching mechanism including a reciprocating needle bar and a work clamp movable relatively to each other to sew a row of stitches in material in said work clamp, a slit cutter associated with said needle bar and adapted to cut a slit in said material and positioning means actuated by the relative movement between the work clamp and the stitching mechanism progressively to vary the position of the cutter relative to the needle bar as it enters the material whereby it cuts a slit whose longitudinal position is predetermined relative to the row of stitches.

5. In a sewing machine comprising stitching mechanism including a reciprocating needle bar and a work clamp movable relatively to each other to sew a row of stitches in material in said work clamp, a slit cutter mounted on said needle bar and adapted to cut a slit in said material progressively with the action of the stitching mechanism and positioning mechanism controlling the cutter to cause it to cut the material a difierent length than the length of the stitching 6. In a sewing machine comprising stitching mechanism including a reciprocating needle bar and a work clamp movable relatively to each other to sew a row of stitches in material in said work clamp, a slit cutter pivoted on said needle bar and adapted to out a slit in said material progressively with the action of the stitching mechanism, cam means moving in accordance with the relative movement of the stitching mechanism and the work clamp, said cam means changing the pivotal operative position of the 6 v slit cutter as the stitching progresses and thereby predetermining the length of the slit with respect to the length of the row of stitches put in the work by the stitching mechanism.

7. In a sewing machine comprising stitching mechanism including a reciprocating needle bar and a work clamp movable relatively to each other to sew a row of stitches in material in said work clamp, a slit cutter pivoted on said needle bar and adapted to cut a slit in said material progressively with the action of the stitching mechanism, cam means moving in accordance with the relative progressive position of the stitching mechanism and the work clamp and cam follower means operated by said cam means and operatively engaged to said slit cutter and changing the pivotal operative position of the slit cutter as the stitching progresses and thereby predetermining the length of the slit with respect to the length of the row of stitches put in the work by the stitching mechanism.

8. A sewing machine comprising stitching mechanism and a work clamp movable relatively to each other, said stitching mechanism including a reciprocating needle bar, a pair of needles on said needle bar for simultaneously sewing two rows of stitches in material in said work clamp, a slit cutter pivotally mounted on said needle bar and adapted to cut a slit in said material between said rows of stitches progressively with the action of the stitching mechanism and means pivotally moving the cutter as the stitching progresses and thereby predetermining the length of the slit with respect to the rows of stitching put in the work by the stitching mechanism.

MARION C. RICH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

